


a little less conversation, a little more action

by stardots



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Family Issues, Greaser AU, M/M, Smut, a mess tbh, at least in american standards, johnjae is fluffy as hell, johnny centric, side dotae and yuwin, underaged drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:13:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10816866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardots/pseuds/stardots
Summary: As long as Johnny had Jaehyun by his side, he knew everything would be alright





	a little less conversation, a little more action

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is set in 1950's america but there's a bunch of political and historical inaccuracies in it so i apologize sdkljlkd
> 
> the gang are all seniors in high school

It was really going to be a hell of a day, Johnny knew. He had woken up to his tin of hair gel being empty, so he snagged his mom’s hair dryer and hairspray in hopes of managing to make his hair stay swiped back. His strands were thick, so the spray didn’t do too well, but it was better than it just hanging loosely with the fringe obscuring his vision.

Breakfast wasn’t any better; he managed to burn his toast, and someone had ingested the last pulp of orange juice. Johnny also remembered he had a test for chemistry in his first block, and he had yet to even open the book for the class. All in all, third week of school was going just peachy.

“Bugger off, will you?” Johnny sneered at Mark, who was tying his bowtie in the cramped hallway, skinny frame taking up way too much space. They had been living together for a year, but Johnny still didn’t accept Mark or his father as  _ family _ . He and his mom had been doing fine on their own before she went ahead and remarried.

The worst part, was that Mark took after his father; a fucking prep with their colorful shirts, ties and cardigans, always smiling and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Johnny scoffed as he laced up his converse, folding up the ends of his jeans.

“Mom said you’d drive me to school.” Mark chirped, unaffected by his step-brother’s foul mood.

“Don’t call her that.” The older glared, making Mark slightly cover, swallowing thickly. He knew he was being an A-class douche, Mark lost his own mother to some chronical illness a few years back, but Johnny was still bitter about his father being replaced. It had only been two years and a half since he left, he could come back at any time.

At least, that’s what Johnny hoped.

“Get your feet dancing, we have to go.” Johnny grabbed his leather jacket, Mark running after him and barely pulling on his loafers before he was out of the door.

Johnny’s car was a sleek black Ford Crestline; he and his dad had been working on it after some upper class guy had left it to rot in a river, its only fault being a tear in one of the cables connecting the battery to the engine. Of course, the water damage to the inventory was also something to fix, but one could find pretty nice seats in the local dump site. Johnny often wondered why his old man didn’t take the car with him when he left that one night, he spent more time on it than his family, after all.

The engine roared to life, Mark reaching over to turn on the FM-band, and much to Johnny’s dismay the chorus of  _ Oh! Carol _ filled their ears. Mark sang along, his mood up and gleeful again after the little tiff in the house. He was a bright kid, if his grades were anything to go by, already doing well in his first year of high school. Johnny saw himself in the younger, a freshman ready to take on the world, but circumstances changed the naïve boy that once was.

“Get out, twit.” Johnny ordered once he parked by the school, and Mark scurried out so fast as if someone was chasing him with a gun, feet hurriedly taking him towards the entrance of the building.

If Johnny showed the younger what kind of awful people the planet offered by treating him roughly, maybe the kid wouldn’t end up like himself.

-

A week later, Johnny found himself earning closed lunch and tutoring due to the red shiny grade on his chemistry test. He had expected it, just not the tutoring part, so he fussed with his teacher but didn’t get off the hook. Of course, the tutor had to be none other than the school’s brightest star, Jaehyun Jung.

Johnny had done well the past years; avoiding the boy like the plague, not wanting to associate with the Ivy League material he was so far from being himself. Johnny wore a leather jacket, Jaehyun a letter jacket, as they met up in the library after school. Jaehyun seemed just as thrilled as Johnny to be stuck in this predicament, if his frown was anything to go by.

“I have to finish up planning the pep-rally, I really don’t have time for this.” Jaehyun sighed, but still pulled out his chemistry book from his backpack. Johnny didn’t bother taking out his. He kind of forgot Jaehyun was on the student council, and fall was the only time he didn’t participate in sports; of course he would be busy planning all football related events. “What did you miss on the test?”

“All of it.” Johnny snickered as he took out the paper from his pocket, passing it to Jaehyun who simply raised an eyebrow at the big, fat F.

“Except for this part; ‘ _ the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell’ _ .” Jaehyun ran a hand through his hair, exasperated, trying to keep his breathing even and calm. “That’s biology, written on a  _ chemistry _ test.”

“Well you know, biology contains some chemistry stuff, too.” Jaehyun squinted at the statement, half expecting what was coming. “Especially when it comes to fertilizing eggs, need a lot of chemistry for that.”

“If you wanna become a fucking mechanic you should know what substances shouldn’t mix together, unless you want your pretty face blown up.” The puppy could bite, and Johnny let out a low whistle.

“Still keeping an eye on me, ain’t you?” Johnny mocked, hammering the wedge between them deeper down. “Just need to know where and what to screw, so I don’t catch anything scary.”

Jaehyun didn’t find that joke funny, either.

“You’re smart, Johnny, you can still get into a good university if you just bother with it.” Jaehyun’s eyes softened, and Johnny almost wanted to give, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. “We were going to go together, to Harvard or wherever. You wanted that, too.”

“Things change, sweetheart.” Johnny rebutted, watching Jaehyun’s shoulders sink. After a few tense moments, Jaehyun shut his book and shoved it into his bag, rising from his seat.

“If you would let me get you back on track, I could.” The younger murmured, turning to leave, always playing hero with a too big heart. “Read chapter one through four for the next test, I know you can understand all what’s in it, you don’t need a tutor.”

Johnny ignored the bitter taste in his mouth as the library door gently swung closed, his old friend probably leaving him for good.

-

Their school had won the homecoming game, and no one even tried to act surprised when the captain of the football team and the head cheerleader were crowned king and queen. Johnny hadn’t even bothered with voting properly, he wrote Yuta’s name on the slip for the ballot, prompting Ten and Doyoung to follow his lead. He had genuinely wanted the other to win, considering he was one of the top athletes in cross-country and track, but due to his tarnished reputation he obviously wouldn’t.

“We still going to the water later?” Ten asked while chewing gum, eyes hidden by sunglasses even when the sun had gone down, checking out every single person passing by. 

“My brother fixed us beers, they’re down in my trunk.” Doyoung supplied, eager to follow up with their plans for the night. Yuta reached out to high-five the younger, hollering in excitement. “But where’s Sicheng?”

“He talked about hitting it with one of the football players, so I’m guessing that’s where he’s at.” If anyone knew about Sicheng’s whereabouts, it would be Yuta, even if it was only a vague estimate.

“Ten should probably just leave his car up here, so he doesn’t wreck it on the way home.” Johnny joked, knowing full and well which one of his friends were the wildest with alcohol in their system. “He has a race this weekend, and I’m not lending him my baby.”

“You never let us borrow anything, John.” Ten frowned, offended by the jab directed at himself.

“Think fast!” Johnny threw his lighter to the other in rebuttal, which caused Ten to do a rather high-pitched yelp before clumsily catching it. “See, lent you some fire.”

“I’m out of smoke, fatass.” The younger glared, while Doyoung bellowed over in laughter and Yuta hid his snort behind his hand. “And why are you eyeballing those goofs, it’s weird.”

“I was thinking of bringing Jaehyun along later.” Johnny shrugged, ignoring the outraged comments from his friends. It had bothered him more than anything, that the imaginary vinyl that were his and Jaehyun’s relationship had been put on play after a long time, only to have scratches on the edges. Their teacher had made Jaehyun tutor him one more time, as Johnny failed a pop quiz, and it certainly didn’t go any better than the last encounter.

“You’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’, Suh.” Yuta snickered, but Johnny heeded no mind before he wandered over to the little clique of preps.

“Make him bring the cute dolly with the glasses, please!” He heard Doyoung shout, shaking his head with a laugh at the other’s plead. He straightened his shoulders and set his face into his famous smolder, combing loose strands of caramel hair back hurriedly before he reached his destination in front of Jaehyun.

“Hey.” When Johnny shot a greeting, all heads turned to him with ridiculously wide eyes. He ushered the ones he didn’t come for to mind their own business, before looking towards Jaehyun again. The younger only had a cotton sweater on, doting on the bonfire to keep him warm, which made Johnny shiver. He felt the breeze on his skin even with the leather covering his frame.

“Good evening.” Jaehyun nodded, arms crossed defensively over his chest. He had been right, that he messed up with Jaehyun two weeks ago in the library. The other had never acted hostile towards him before, those few times they would bump into each other in class or in the halls. “What does the great Johnny Suh want on this fine night?”

“Wanna hang out after the bonfire?” Johnny offered, straight to the point, and Jaehyun’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, or maybe distaste. It was a little hard to tell, but Johnny had never been good at reading expressions in the first place. “It’ll just be me and the guys heading down to the lake, you can bring some sidekicks.”

“Sure, we’ll be there.” One of Jaehyun’s friends, Taeil, took up the invite. Jaehyun stared at the other with wide eyes, nudging him as if trying to say ‘ _ we’re absolutely NOT going _ ’, but Taeil simply sent a soft smile to Johnny. “What time?”

“If you need rides, we’re leaving here by nine, cars are at the ball court.” Taeyong (also dubbed as ‘the cute dolly with the glasses’) and Taeil gave their thanks before dragging Jaehyun towards where the jocks and cheerleaders were chattering away. The younger seemed miffed, and Johnny hoped he could make the other have a good time later on.

-

“This is exciting.” Taeil grinned as he jumped into the backseat of Johnny’s car, Taeyong following right after, leaving Doyoung complaining a little too loud about the fact. Jaehyun hesitated, looking at his friends with a last minute plea in his eyes. They ignored him, giggling together about doing something new and risky.

“Oi Jung, if you’re not hopping in front I will.” Ten called with a chuckle, slinging an arm around Jaehyun, who in turn bit his lip in contemplation. He met Johnny’s gaze momentarily, who was staring at him expectantly, but looked away almost immediately. Instead of turning to action, he turned to words.

“Are you sure you’re gonna leave your car here, Ten?” Ten seemed taken aback at the question, but a smug grin tugged on his lips.

“Unless you wanna leave with me right now, then I will.” Johnny furrowed his brows at his best friend, really wanting to back up so the front wheel drove over his foot. There was also a small chance it would hit Jaehyun too, so he didn’t. Apparently Ten’s bad attempt at flirting was a good thing, because Jaehyun wriggled free from his arm and hurried inside the car, sitting down in the seat next to Johnny. Ten blew a kiss at a flustered Jaehyun, walking backwards to Doyoung’s truck. “The offer still stands whenever, babe.”

“Stick it in an exhaust.” Jaehyun muttered, prompting a chuckle from Johnny. “What?”

“Nothing.” Johnny revved his engine after Doyoung pulled out of the lot, following the other’s car, trying to catch the hushed conversation between Taeil and Taeyong in the back. Jaehyun remained silent, staring ahead, and Johnny wished he could just chug an entire beer right then so he wouldn’t feel the awkward in the air.

Luckily, the lake wasn’t too far from the school, the drive only taking five short minutes. Sicheng was already there with the beginning of a bonfire dancing at his feet, waving excitedly at the approaching crowd. Introductions went by quick, Doyoung pulling out the case with beer, handing out a bottle to everyone. Surprisingly enough, Taeyong knocked back half of his in one go, earning excited hollers from his peers. Even Jaehyun was smiling now, and Johnny took it as a good sign.

The feeling of reckless youth surrounded them as they shared stories and laughs, buzzed on alcohol and the atmosphere. At times like that, it’s when one feels immortal, stuck in the moment one can only hope never passes. Running around, splashing cold water onto flushed faces but quickly stopping because the bonfire could only provide so much heat, settling back around the fire when it was time for more drinks. There was no one around but them, and they let their characters fall for a bit, not caring about the social hierarchy of high school. 

“You can’t play for shit.” Ten slurred as Yuta strummed the guitar they had retrieved from the back of Doyoung’s truck, apparently his brother’s, and hopefully he wouldn’t get mad when he found his instrument awfully out of tune. Taeil, who had been nothing but a bundle of giggles all night, stole the guitar out of Yuta’s grasp and nestled it in his lap.

“I know some songs.” Taeil explained, plucking the strings carefully, flinching at the horrible sound they elicited. “Okay, who turned this into a useless heap of crap?”

“Not me.” Jaehyun grinned, holding his hands up as to defend himself.

“Lying isn’t nice, Jaehyun.” Johnny teased, his second beer giving him enough courage to actually converse with the younger. There had been this painful silence between them, even if they had been actively making part in whatever discussion was going around the fire.

“What are you trying to imply, Suh? It was for a fact…” The younger hesitated,obviously trying to decide on a scapegoat, leaving Johnny elated after gaining a response. “Sicheng who did it!”

“Me?!” Sicheng, who had taken over the empty spot in Yuta’s lap after the guitar was taken away, gasped in disbelief. He turned to Taeil with quite an endearing look, jutting out his lower lip. “Taeil, I know we just met, but you can trust me with your life and- and it wasn’t me!”

“And for tonight, we’re serving you a new version of  _ summertime blues _ !” Taeil ignored the squabble, strummed the guitar and started to sing. It was a song most of them knew, but the ones who didn’t just shrieked when they thought it was appropriate (Ten, mostly). Doyoung, Taeil and Jaehyun harmonized a little too well for it to match the uneven squeaks of the guitar, making it sound even worse. It didn’t take long before they all broke down laughing, Doyoung crying out when Taeil almost threw the guitar into the bonfire after his precious choir of budding songbirds was ruined.

The night was getting chillier, the boys huddling closer together to keep warm, yet Ten was walking around in a t-shirt because the beer really numbed his senses. Johnny denied he kept staring at Jaehyun the entire night, denied that he noticed all his smiles, denied that he only really paid attention to what left the younger’s mouth and not the rest, but he couldn’t deny that he noticed the shivers he tried to battle. Raised a gentleman, Johnny shrugged of his jacket and placed it over Jaehyun’s frame, hoping it would help ease the other’s discomfort.

“B-but, you’ll be cold!” Jaehyun argued, trying to remove the jacket, but Johnny just shook his head.

“Ten’s wandering around almost naked, I’ll be fine.” Johnny reassured, and he wasn’t lying. The gratefulness in Jaehyun’s eyes filled him with warmth, along with the shy smile that rested on his lips. It was enough to make Johnny ignore the autumn breeze.

“Thank you, Johnny.” 

Jaehyun looked breathtaking, sitting there with Johnny’s leather jacket hanging on his shoulders. His cheeks were flushed, the alcohol in him being the cause, and maybe Johnny found the other so damn attractive due to the alcohol in himself. It’s what he tried to tell his forsaken thoughts, but he knew better.

Jaehyun was spacing out, barely paying attention to the conversation, eyes drifting to the watch on his wrist. He was probably tired, slowly sipping from the bottle in his hand like he really didn’t want to finish it. Johnny frowned. 

“I’ll take you home.” Jaehyun looked at Johnny in surprise, but nodded nonetheless, following Johnny to his car. It was quiet again, but not awkward, a hum of laughs from the others accompanying the last songs of crickets before the colder seasons silenced them.  Jaehyun’s arms pressed against Johnny’s while they walked was enough to sober up the older’s clouded mind to drive carefully, even though he grazed the ditch one too many times.

-

They sat on the back porch of Jaehyun’s house, sweet tea in their glasses as they gazed up at the stars. If Johnny was raised a gentleman, Jaehyun was born one, inviting Johnny over for going through the trouble of bringing him home. It was pretty late, and Johnny knew his mom was probably worried sick, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Deep down, he had missed this, a little too much.

His mind ventured back to summer nights, sweat plastering fringes to foreheads, hands holding onto each other in childish innocence. Jaehyun had scraped his knee one time when they had played basketball on the sidewalk, tripping over his shoelaces. Johnny had brought him home, where Jaehyun’s mother gave them lemonade and biscuits, the two sharing the treats in the yard while Johnny made up a story where he was convinced he saw bigfoot outside his bedroom window, taking the younger’s mind off the wound on his knee.

“ _ Time can’t erase the memories _ ,” Jaehyun slurred, still under influence of the beers he consumed earlier. His deep voice sounded rich, like sweet honey, so much better than the raspy squeaking from their childhood. “ _ Of these magic moments, filled with love _ .”

They couldn’t bring the record player or the radio out with them, so Jaehyun had decided to provide music. For once, Johnny didn’t mind the cheesy songs everyone seemed to be listening to, because Jaehyun’s renditions were the most wonderful thing he’d ever experienced.

Jaehyun sang a little more, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley obviously being the younger’s favorites, judging by his song choices.  He didn’t belt out too loudly, some notes disappearing due to the lack of volume to his voice, but it was so his parents wouldn’t wake up. Johnny knew Jaehyun didn’t want his parents to find out their precious, spotless son had been out drinking on a school night, or drinking at all.

Another memory made its way into Johnny’s head, of two freshmen boys, knocking knees and talking about the upcoming geography test. Jaehyun had yet to reach his growth spurt, and Johnny got through his excessively fast. The older had been wearing a glaringly yellow sweater, the younger one of his hand-me-down cardigans, both of their heads free from hair gel. It was exactly six days before Johnny’s father left, and he had never been more happy than he was in that moment, his best friend’s lips pressed against his in an awkward first kiss.

It happened in the exact same spot they were sitting now, knees still knocking, but Jaehyun was taller than back then so Johnny knew he wouldn’t have to crane his neck if they kissed again. And God, did he want to.

Jaehyun’s songs had turned into hums, fading into silence as his eyes met Johnny’s. Johnny didn’t know if Jaehyun had kissed anyone else, hell, even banged someone. He wanted to know, learn more about the other, become close like they once were. Jaehyun seemed to grow self-conscious under Johnny’s gaze, gulping down the rest of his tea and putting away his glass.

“Aren’t you cold?” Jaehyun questioned timidly, eyes flickering to Johnny’s skimpy t-shirt while he himself kept warm with the leather jacket. He moved to shrug it off his shoulders like when Johnny had given it to him, but Johnny held out a hand to stop him.

“Keep it, you look beautiful in it.” Johnny hadn’t meant to say the last part, and now it hung in the air between them, Jaehyun taking in a shuddering breath as his cheeks flushed even more. Johnny knew he didn’t imagine the other staring at his lips for a moment too long, and maybe Jaehyun was thinking about the past as well.

Johnny knew he was selfish. It was a feat he’d grown after the man he looked up to, who he gave his unconditional love and admiration, turned his back to him without a word. He had to take what he wanted, not letting opportunities pass him by. Johnny wanted to feel the happiness he held once, that one spring afternoon with Jaehyun.

He was selfish, so he made it happen.

The first touch of lips made Jaehyun gasp, but Johnny didn’t have time to even conjure up the thought of regretting his action, because Jaehyun parted his lips right away, inviting and accepting. They were more experienced now, and it wasn’t just a three-four second peck of puckered lips. It was nibbling, tongues meeting, breathy moans and exploring hands.

It was wonderful, and Johnny felt a weight lift from his chest as a lost puzzle piece returned to its rightful place.

-

“Your friends are staring.” Jaehyun whispered, ears red as he sipped on his milkshake.

“And?” Johnny smirked, kicking Jaehyun’s foot with his own playfully. “Let them.”

“Well, mine are too!” The younger grabbed the menu standing on the table, hiding his face in it even though they had already ordered and gotten their drinks. “I’ve talked so much shit about you, they’re probably chewing me off right now.”

“It’s not like I haven’t talked shit about you too, Jae.” Johnny looked over to the table by the jukebox, usually occupied by preps, and Taeyong and Taeil hurriedly pretended to be busy conversing after being caught staring. By the looks of it, they weren’t lying down dirt, but seemed rather enthusiastic about their friend being on a date. Johnny’s crew on the other side of the shop, where doing jerking motions with their hands, making Johnny flip them a bird.

“You should head over, it kind of looks like they wanna tell you something.” Johnny comforted, reaching over to squeeze Jaehyun’s hand. “Settle whatever beef need to be settled, but hurry before your milkshake gets all gooey.”

“Fine.” Jaehyun got up, heading over to their table while Johnny turned to face his friends. They beat him to it, Doyoung already standing by him with a smug look on his face.

“So you two got down in the hay the other night or what?” He snickered, wiggling his sleek eyebrows. Johnny shoved the other, seizing the comb from the pocket of his pants to fix his hair. “Hey use your own, what if you have lice?”

“We didn’t do anything, just snogged a little and I tucked him to bed, fully clothed.” Johnny replied, ignoring the last comment and handed over the comb.

“You snogged a  _ prep _ , and the king prep at that!”

“His name is Jaehyun, and you sing with him in church choir. Stop spewing crap.” Jaehyun was making his way back, so Johnny hurriedly shooed Doyoung away with the promise of taking him to burn some rubber on the racetracks later.

“What’s that about?” Jaehyun asked as he sat down, mouth closing around his straw. Johnny felt the need to kiss him silly, but bit it down.

“Kim being Kim, nothing new.” The younger nodded, accepting the answer. A small smile made its way to his lips, dimples appearing as his eyes grew mischievous.

“So, is Suh just being Suh, or did he study for the chemistry test we have tomorrow?” Jaehyun teased, making Johnny let out a groan because he totally forgot about the piece of hellish garbage. “I take that as a no, which means no kiss today.”

“Oh c’mon, that’s absurd.” Johnny complained, lifting his hand to caress Jaehyun’s cheek, hoping to coax what he wanted out of the other. It worked, because Jaehyun leaned into the touch, face contemplating. He knew he wanted to kiss as much as Johnny did, after missing out for such a long time.

“Fine, but on one condition.” The brunet held up a finger to underline his statement, and Johnny straightened up, not liking where this was going. “We go to my place, to  _ study _ , and if you get the questions right you earn a kiss. Deal?”

“Deal.” If that was going to be Jaehyun’s way of getting Johnny back on track, he really had no complaints. They knocked their fists together to seal the pact, returning to small talk and drinking their milkshakes.

After they finished and were about to get up and leave, someone had put the jukebox to life, the sound of an upbeat tune filling the diner. Some girls let out squeals, already up on their feet to dance and hopefully partner up with a handsome jock. Johnny saw Doyoung, the sneak, standing by the jukebox asking Taeyong to be his partner. The two were like polar opposites, so the fact that Taeyong accepted took Johnny by surprise. He pointed it out to Jaehyun, who let out a laugh, sharing that Taeyong actually had a thing for rough fellas.

“May I have this dance, oh fair lady?” Johnny bowed, holding out his hand for Jaehyun to take. The other agreed with a snort, the two moving away from their table to start swinging.

“Thought you had two left feet.” Jaehyun commented as the music switched to another rock song, the two changing the pace to match the new rhythm. “You certainly didn’t know how to dance last time we did.”

“That was a decade ago, at least!” Johnny acted offended, earning him a melodious giggle. He planted a peck on Jaehyun’s cheek as they did a rock step, thinking he could get used to this. “And besides, what kind of woman would my mother be if she didn’t teach her son to swing?”

-

For Halloween, the drive-in theatre was screening  _ Creature from the Black Lagoon _ and  _ The Thing _ , Johnny’s friends promising they would bring their rides to provide seating for Jaehyun’s, the two gangs getting knit closer due to the Johnny and Jaehyun being attached to the hip at any moment. 

A new addition was Kun, apparently Taeyong’s ex, prompting Doyoung to completely remove his brain to mouth filter and flick words laced with venom towards the guy. It was kind of odd, because Kun just laughed in Doyoung’s face, and Taeyong rubbing Doyoung’s back seemed to calm Doyoung down an instant. They weren’t exclusive, but they sure acted like it, which Kun pointed out with a bunch of “Taeyong used to do that to me, too”.

Jaehyun and Kun were close because they were captain and co-captain of the basketball team, but Johnny let Doyoung handle the jealousy towards the handsome newcomer. It wasn’t like Kun had Jaehyun wrapped in his arms, anyways.

“Sicheng is gone again.” Taeil pointed out, flicking some popcorn into his mouth from where he was seated next to Ten on the hood of Doyoung’s car. Doyoung and Taeyong didn’t seem to mind the screen covered up by the two forms, because Taeyong was easily scared by horror films, and Doyoung took every chance he got to impress the other by calming him down and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. 

“Yuta’s missing, too.” Was Ten’s reply, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “I told you all, there’s something going on between those two.”

“I bet they’re off fucking.” Kun boldly stated, coaxing snorts from the others.

“Sounds like something they would do before dating.” Jaehyun laughed, leaning himself closer into Johnny, their cheeks touching. 

“Everyone has their own pace.” Johnny mused, turning his face slightly so their lips were less than inch apart, Jaehyun’s biting his lower lip in anticipation.

“I like this pace.” The younger closed the gap, kissing Johnny deeply. Small pecks were nice, but both of them loved the kisses filled with passion, always hungry for more. Johnny brought one of his arms around Jaehyun’s waist, pulling him even closer, Jaehyun moving his leg to slightly straddle the other’s thigh. Open mouths made way for tongues, the screaming of the female lead in the movie not even registered in their minds. 

“Johnny’s scoring back seat bingo!” Ten hollered, making the two pull away abruptly. Kun pretended to gag, because he had been sitting in the backseat, getting a rather close up view of the action. “But in the front seat, close enough.”

"Let's get outta here? Flick’s boring." Johnny suggested, but Jaehyun knew the other was set on leaving no matter what reply he got. The younger rather wanted to go too, the movies not even to his interest anymore as well.

"Okay." He pecked Johnny's cheek, two grins gracing both faces. "Where to?"

"There's a lot down by the river, we could go there." Johnny really wasn't implying anything, besides talking and maybe making out a little, but Jaehyun seemed to get the wrong idea based on the blush adorning his cheeks. The empty lot belonging to some rundown shack was a hot spot during summer for inconspicuous activities, people preferring to park in garages during the colder seasons to get down to it, meaning it would most likely be empty at this time. Even if he seemed embarrassed, Jaehyun didn't shoot down the idea. "We can just talk or whatever, I really need to puff."

"Not around me, you don't." Jaehyun glared, reaching over to snag Johnny's cigarette packet away from his chest pocket. He didn't know the older had a stick tucked behind his ear, so Johnny let it slide with an innocent smile. "Let's go, I can't stand the look Taeyong is giving us."

Johnny peeked over to where Taeyong was leaning his head on Doyoung's shoulder, a coy smile on his lips. Johnny suddenly had a hunch Taeyong and Jaehyun had some sort of best friend talk about  _ stuff _ , and he felt a coil in his stomach, the thought of the younger wanting to do a little more than exchanging spit plaguing his mind. He shook the images popping up in his head away, chasing Kun out of the car before hitting the clutch and maneuvering out of the theatre.

Jaehyun fiddled with the radio, tuning it in on the local station, where the anchor was in the middle of relaying news of a homicide during a car theft a few counties over. They didn’t pay attention, too occupied in each other’s presence to care about something that wasn’t there in the car with them. When Elvis came on after the short news flash, Jaehyun grabbed his air-guitar and played to his heart's content, making his voice deeper to match the tone of the king of rock.

Johnny made his voice reach the highest pitch it could, trying his best to do the backing vocals. He ended up sounding like a parrot with crumbs stuck in its throat, making laughs bubble in both of their chests, but Jaehyun managed to keep on carrying the song through his giggling fits.

“ _ Don't procrastinate, don't articulate, girl it's getting late, gettin' upset waitin' around! _ ” They both let out a holler, harmonizing as well as they could with Johnny’s parodic singing. The steering wheel was a drum set, and Jaehyun kept strumming the air like he was in the middle of a concert. “ _ Shut your mouth and open up your heart, and baby satisfy me! _ ”

“ _ Satisfy me, baby, _ ” Johnny hummed, voice back to normal, and Jaehyun blushed prettily when their eyes met for the slightest moment. The sound faded, and so did their singing, the roaring of the engine filling their ears until another record was set on.

The next song ended up being  _ Maybe _ by The Chantels, and they simmered down, panting, but the mood was still high despite the melancholic lyrics. Jaehyun’s hand found its way atop of Johnny’s on the stick shift, clearing his throat.

“It’s a little silly, but I used to listen to this song a lot, before.” A shy confession, which made Johnny pay attention to the lyrics. Despite the lovely smile and dimples on Jaehyun’s face, Johnny still felt a tug on his heart, the yearning of the strong vocals relaying a feeling he was all too familiar with himself. Turns out he had always been selfish with Jaehyun, even back then, leaving the other as he thought it was the best for them both.  _ The best for yourself _ , his mind chided, but he ignored it, not wanting the atmosphere to grow sour.

They arrived by the river, simple conversation overlapping the ballads and weather reports that fuzzed as the signal got weaker. There was another car there, and leaning on the hood was none other than Sicheng, shirtless and smoking. The boy hurriedly put the cigarette out, about to escape into his car in case the sheriff was out lurking (Johnny took pride in having a similar car to the deputy’s; it was fun driving around with the crew scaring the living daylights out of people).

“It’s just me, Winner!” Johnny called out, and he saw Sicheng do a double take as he squinted into the headlights. Sicheng’s nickname came from his catchphrase, and as a self-proclaimed optimist, it rather fit the fella. “Whatcha out here for?”

“Just got down to it, got some fresh air, and didn’t get caught by the devil.” Sicheng explained as he crossed his arms over the sill, a smirk on his lips. “A win-win situation.”

Johnny bumped Sicheng’s fist in a late greeting, about to ask the younger if it coincidentally was Yuta he had been having a good time with when Sicheng noticed Jaehyun. His eyes widened, and Jaehyun gave a little wave, but Sicheng just kept staring.

“You’re gonna catch more than flies in there if you keep that up.” Johnny snorted, making Sicheng break out of his reverie.

“You guys are actually going to fuck? I thought this was like some wait until after marriage deal, didn’t think you were the easy type, Jaehyun.” Sicheng also didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, and Johnny whipped his head around to see Jaehyun furrow his eyebrows with a pinch of annoyance. Johnny was about to comfort his boyfriend when Sicheng stood up and whistled for whoever that was with him to come out.

It was in fact Yuta, stumbling out of the car with a cigarette dangling from his lips. At least he was dressed, but it was a little surprising that he was the one limping around. 

“Dude, they’re gonna fuck.” Sicheng excitedly shared, Yuta snorting at the statement.

“Calm down, we’re just here to talk and stuff.” Johnny tried to save the atmosphere, as he could feel the embarrassment leaking from Jaehyun. 

“I’m the one who’s supposed to go spread rumors, not you Sicheng.” Yuta tutted, poking the other to make him hand over the lighter. “Let the lovebirds be, they can do what they want.”

“Exactly.” Jaehyun muttered, and for once in his life, Johnny was grateful to Yuta. Yuta and Sicheng should definitely get down to it more often, if this was the outcome. 

“Don’t light that here, though.” Johnny ordered before Yuta could fire up his smoke, the other holding his hands up.

“I’ll do it in the car, we should probably head out if we’re gonna catch the last part of the movie.” Yuta pulled at Sicheng’s arm, who gave Jaehyun one last wink before the two went back to the car.

“Easy.” Jaehyun flatly parroted Sicheng’s earlier statement when he and Yuta drove off, arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re not easy, Jae. Don’t listen to him.” Johnny placed a hand on Jaehyun’s thigh, leaning forward to let his other cup the younger’s cheek. “You’re so much more than that, sweetheart.”

“And how many have you taken here?” He didn’t let up, full lips jutted out in an enticing pout, which Johnny wanted to kiss away.

“None.” Jaehyun’s gaze flicked to the backseat, and Johnny understood what he meant then. “ _ None _ , I did once in Doyoung’s truck, but don’t tell him that. We really don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

Jaehyun suppressed a snort, biting his cheek to keep from smiling, and Johnny knew he had won the other over.

“If I’m popping this girl’s cherry, it’s with you, baby.” The older winked, a lighthearted joke, but Jaehyun shied away. He looked down, seemingly mulling over something in his head, before he pried his eyes away from his lap and met Johnny’s.

“You’re popping my cherry, too.” Jaehyun muttered bashfully, his hands going to the top button of his own polo to unbutton it, and  _ fuck _ , Johnny felt heat rush through him. It didn’t take long before their lips met, noses bumping and teeth knocking every now and then, heavy breaths exchanged between them. Jaehyun wrapped his arms around Johnny’s neck, one hand grabbing the cigarette perched behind his ear and throwing it out of the car.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that, Suh.” Johnny just chuckled, his hand gripping Jaehyun’s muscular thigh so far up his thumb grazed the other’s growing erection, earning him a surprised yelp.

“Don’t think I didn’t feel that, Jung.”

They shimmied into the backseat, the stars flickering above them as they watched the two, and Jaehyun noticed all too well.

“Can we pull up the roof?” He questioned, and Johnny was fast to comply, wanting the younger to be as comfortable as possible. He knew there would be less space with the roof up, but that meant he had an excuse to be closer to Jaehyun in any way he could.

Once he got back in, Jaehyun had undone all the buttons on his polo, the only thing left was to pull it over his head, which Johnny did before sealing their lips in a searing kiss. Johnny let his hands travel, feeling the muscles he himself didn’t have, and yearned to be able to see the beauty of the other’s body in better lighting than what the moon provided. Jaehyun pushed at Johnny’s jacket, wanting it off, and Johnny flung it into the front seat. He wasn’t going to get any spunk on it.

“Hold on,” Johnny ordered, leaning up front to find a tin of petroleum jelly he used when there was something that needed to be lubed up in the car, and Jaehyun’s eyes widened when he returned. “It’s gonna hurt with just spit.”

“ _ You  _ hold on.” And now it was Jaehyun climbing over the back of the seat, reaching into his jacket pocket for a tub of vaseline, and Johnny raised his eyebrows.

“It’s the same thing, love.”

“I’d rather use something I know only my fingers have touched, who knows what’s in that thing!” Johnny raised his hands up in defeat, dropping the tin to the floor before he made Jaehyun lean back against the door, fitting himself between the spread legs. Their crotches met, eliciting groans from the both of them, Johnny leaning down to nibble at the exposed skin of Jaehyun’s clavicle. 

Jaehyun was vocal, but not in a loud way. He was mewling softly, moans low, shivering breaths leaving him in intervals. Johnny was addicted, and couldn’t wait until they were in the middle of it, anticipating what was to come. His fingers worked on Jaehyun’s trousers, unbuttoning and unzipping, pulling them down until the other was left in his briefs. A dark stain was at the front, and Johnny let out a deep growl at the strain of the material. Jaehyun was obviously well endowed, and Johnny wondered if the younger’s cock would be heavy in his hand.

“P-please, take off your clothes, too.” Jaehyun whined, and if that wasn’t the cutest, yet the most sinful thing ever, Johnny could proclaim himself as the next president. He pulled of his shirt, and even though his torso was more lean than muscular, he took pride in the shape of his body; his arms could carry more than what it seemed. Jaehyun’s eyes raked over the sight, lips between his teeth as his hand went down to palm himself, making Johnny scurry out of his jeans as fast as lightning.

They kissed again, but this time, Johnny let his fingers slip through the waistband of Jaehyun’s shorts, asking for silent permission. A squeeze to his bicep told him to go on, and so he did. His lips travelled down, down, down, finding purchase at Jaehyun’s v-line, sucking marks into the unblemished skin while his cheek came in contact with the other’s erection. Jaehyun’s voice grew in volume, and Johnny’s hand gently took a hold of the cock presented to him, using the pre-cum leaking from the tip as lubrication.

“Has anyone done this to you?” Johnny asked, altering the speed and technique of his hand, observing Jaehyun to find out what he liked the most.

“I dated a senior last year for some months,” Jaehyun managed through his moans, hand finding purchase in Johnny’s hair, “Hansol, but he moved away for college.”

This was new information to Johnny, who let out a possessive growl. He wanted to smack himself for getting jealous, Johnny had flings too, and the past didn’t matter when Jaehyun was his now.

“I’ll make you feel things he was unable to.” Johnny leaned up to capture Jaehyun’s lips gently, a promise of sweet pleasure.

“You better,” Jaehyun teased when they parted, eyes twinkling playfully. “Or I might just have to call him and make him drive home from Nebraska for an early thanksgiving.”

“Ah, unfortunately for him,” Johnny rebutted, pulling away to open the vaseline jar, Jaehyun’s breath hitching. “He’ll be a little late for early thanksgiving, since we’re celebrating it now.”

Johnny coated a single digit, not wanting to terrify Jaehyun more by just doing three immediately. Jaehyun was soft, beautiful, almost belonging on a high shelf among the porcelain dolls Johnny’s grandmother collected. He didn’t want to hurt him. He sat down on a knee, using one hand to spread one of Jaehyun’s legs further out, thumb rubbing reassuring circles on the skin of the younger’s thigh.

“I need you to relax for me, sweetheart.” Jaehyun took heavy breaths, steadying himself and tried to lessen the tension in his muscles as well as he could. When he gave a nod, Johnny took it as a sign to go on, the lubed finger brushing carefully against Jaehyun’s entrance. “It might feel weird, but it’ll be good later on. Just tell me to stop whenever.”

Another nod, and Johnny breached the muscle, slowly letting his finger disappear into the other. Jaehyun made a noise, not a moan but nor was it in discomfort, one hand gripping onto Johnny’s shoulder. Johnny moved it in and out, rotating it slightly to see how Jaehyun reacted. He was met with curious eyes, drool almost leaking from the corner of the other’s lips.

“C-can you… another?” Jaehyun stuttered while blushing furiously, affecting Johnny’s untouched arousal immensely.

“This one might hurt, keep relaxing babe.” Johnny ordered as he coated up two more fingers. He returned to his previous pose, easily slipping in the first finger. After a few thrusts he added the tip of the second, focusing on keeping the stretch as small as possible. He scissored slightly before let the two digits go in together, Jaehyun gasping at the intrusion.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Johnny halted, about to remove his fingers. “No, wait, don’t!”

“Breathe, tell me what to do.” Johnny tried to comfort the other, a little panic stricken due to Jaehyun’s contrasting commands.

“Just- just stay like that for a moment.” Johnny listened, keeping still as Jaehyun took time to adjust himself. The younger let out an airy laugh, panting harshly. “Okay that hurt, not gonna lie.”

“You alright?” Johnny caressed Jaehyun’s face, starting to move his fingers slightly. Jaehyun hummed in affirmation, letting out mewls every now and then, an encouraging melody.

The pain repeated with the third digit, but it flew past them when Johnny reached Jaehyun’s prostate, rubbing against the area as much as he could to elicit loud moans.

“I need you, John.” Jaehyun whined, rolling his hips against Johnny’s hand. The older stilled, the words going into his brain and clouding it, making regular motor skills malfunction for a moment. Jaehyun let out yet another whine, impatient, sitting up slightly to grab at Johnny’s underwear. “ _ Please _ .”

Johnny climbed up front quickly to grab a condom, stripping out of his briefs and covering his cock with the rubber. Jaehyun was holding his legs open, shivering in anticipation and lust. Johnny fit himself between Jaehyun’s legs, carefully guiding the tip of his member to the other’s hole, pressing inside.

“Okay?” Johnny breathed, Jaehyun’s nails digging into his biceps due to the bigger intrusion compared to three fingers. Jaehyun mewled, a mix between a whine and a moan, pushing his hips forward. Johnny took the memo, sinking completely into the heat, letting both him and Jaehyun adjust to the sensation before moving.

“Fuck!” Jaehyun shouted, throwing his head back at the feeling of pleasure simmering through his entire body. It was new, something he had never felt before, but he definitely wanted as much as he could get.

“What would your parents say if they heard you now?” How Johnny managed to get out the sentence without stuttering was beyond him, but Jaehyun always reacted the best ways to his teasing. Instead of hiding his face in his hands like he would do at times, he looked at Johnny with hooded eyes, lower lip between his teeth.

“Go to hell.” The younger moaned as Johnny angled his hips, pressing against his prostate. He moved slowly, dragging out impatient sounds from Jaehyun, wanting to reduce him to a begging mess. He succeeded. “Please, John, faster!” 

“Hold on to something.” Johnny paused, letting Jaehyun’s hand scramble around. One arm wrapped around Johnny’s neck, the other leading his hand to hold onto the door handle. Johnny picked up the pace, keeping his thrust shallow, but Jaehyun didn’t complain because he still hit all the right places. The chilly air from outside clashed with the heat inside, the windows fogging up, completely hiding them from the world that wasn't their own.

They kissed, more teeth and tongue than anything, Johnny stealing all of Jaehyun’s whines right out of his mouth. The two tangled together, pulling each other as close as they could, wanting to feel and touch as much as possible. Johnny changed his thrusts from shallow and fast to deep and hard, Jaehyun doing his best to meet him midway. Daring to peek a look at Jaehyun’s face, Johnny could almost come an instant. The younger looked thoroughly fucked, which he was, mouth agape and eyes shut tight.

“Look at me.” Johnny ordered, Jaehyun complying, lashes fluttering as he let his gaze find the other’s. The sight of Johnny above him, hair messily framing his face and lust clouded irises, made Jaehyun’s mind completely shut down. He cried out Johnny’s name over and over, mixed with mutters of being close, clenching around Johnny’s cock to punctuate the statement. Johnny groaned curses, shifting so Jaehyun was sitting more upright and wrapping an arm securely around his waist. With the new position he could wrap a hand around Jaehyun’s cock, stroking the younger to completion.

Jaehyun came with a dragged out whine, cum painting both their abdomens as he held onto Johnny in a haze of pleasure. A few more thrusts, Jaehyun wailing through all of them, and Johnny reached his own climax. There was nothing ceremonial about cleaning up afterwards, except for the tender kiss they shared as they came down from their highs, but they didn’t mind as soon as Jaehyun was in between Johnny’s legs, back pressed against the other’s chest.

“I can’t see anything.” Jaehyun mumbled sleepily, coaxing a chuckle from Johnny.

“The windows are condensed, and you’re the one tutoring me?” Jaehyun smacked Johnny’s chest with no power, giggling. “It’s okay, I get it, I did you so good you don’t remember anything by my name.”

“Oh shush, you.” They fell into a comfortable silence after that, watching as the fog faded little by little, Jaehyun reaching out a toe to make a mark in it. He made another, and then drew a curved line, forming a smiling face.

“If it wasn’t you, I would yell at you right now for making marks on my window.” Johny kissed the top of Jaehyun’s head, who just laughed.

“I love getting special treatment from you, Sir Johnny The Great.”

They made out some more, albeit lazily, enjoying the comfort skin to skin contact brought. At some point, the chill from outside actually did find its way inside, and the two begrudgingly got dressed. It didn’t stop them from resuming their previous activity, lips locking yet again, loving and gentle. 

-

When Johnny parked in the driveway off his house, he knew his family was still awake. The lights were on in the living room, he could see that through the window, so he guessed it wasn't as late as he thought. He popped up the collar of his jacket so no one would see the little pink mark peeking over the edge of his shirt. Once he opened the door, the first thing that met his ears were his mother yelling, her soft voice filled with unfiltered emotions, raw and hoarse. Johnny hadn’t heard her shout like that since that one night; his father grabbing his bag and not turning back, no matter how much Johnny cried.

He didn't even bother taking off his hi-tops, curious, even worried, if Mark's father was the cause of his mother's state of distress. The sight he first saw was Mark in his jammies on the couch, biting on his thumbnail with unshed tears glowing in his eyes. Mark's father was leaning against the kitchen counter, a concerned expression on his face, and lastly he saw his mother with the phone against her ear, cursing until she noticed her son had arrived home.

"He's here now, you have five minutes." Her tone was cold as she spoke, motioning Johnny to take over the conversation with the unknown caller. He took a sharp breath as he held the phone up to his ear, not knowing what to expect. He really wished it wasn’t the principal or anything.

"Hello?" He greeted, and he felt his mother's hand sneak under his jacket, rubbing circles into his back.

" _ Johnny _ ." His chest tightened immediately, and he had to swallow the knot in his throat along with the water threatening to spill over. He didn't cry, that was weak. Johnny wasn't weak.

"P-pops?" He didn't mean to stammer, but he was overwhelmed. He felt happiness, anger, sadness, plenty of more mixing together, but the biggest one being hope. "Are you coming back?"

Oh he was a fool, returning to a naïve child, ignoring the past years of his life like they never happened. He'd to anything,  _ anything _ , to have his father back. His mother gripped his shirt, but she didn't say anything, letting Johnny have his space, and his missing parent, for a few moments.

" _ I'm sorry, boy _ ." His father sounded tired, worn down, a contrast to the gruff yet lively voice Johnny was used to. " _ I can't come back, not until I'm stuck in a rollin' chair and can see the devil grabbin' my ankles _ ."

"What do you mean?" Johnny raised his voice, desperate, broken, wanting an explanation for once. "Why can't you?"

" _ Ya mom will explain, I don't have time right now. There's some more important matters pressin' _ ." Another man spoke in the background, and he heard his father mumble a reply before he talked again. " _ I don't know what you're upta these days, but I know it's your last year in school. Keep up your grades, get into a good university like ya never wanted to shut your trap about _ ."

Johnny kept quiet, not believing he was really hearing his father say those things. He'd call him a drop of piss, saying real men did hard labor over sitting their asses down on a bench to learn about things no one needed to know. He really didn't know what to say, but he heard something akin to regret in his father's tone, making a shiver run down his spine.

" _ I hope you've kept my cherry up and runnin', and maybe you've stained the leather in the back already but that's good, she needs to be sat in properly _ ." His father chuckled, and Johnny hoped his mother didn't hear, because she would obviously know what the red on his cheeks meant then.

"She goes like she has grease under her wheels, pops." Johnny muttered, biting his lip. "You can try her out, when you're in town."

" _ Yer old man can't touch cars no more, but I'd love that _ ." Johnny couldn't see it, but he knew his father was doing his askew smile, baring his teeth on the left side. He couldn’t help but smile himself, if only a little.  _ "I have to go, be kind to your mama, and stay out of trouble. I want ya to know that I'm proud of ya son. Always have been, and always will be. I love ya _ ."

"Pops-" The line died, and the things Johnny wanted to say died with it.

-

“What was he like?” Johnny didn’t have to look up to know it was Mark, but he did anyways. The younger stood in the doorway with a tray with cookies and two glasses of milk in his hands, a silent question to enter. Johnny waved at him to come in, which he did with an excited smile. He placed the tray onto the floor before sitting down at the foot of the bed, Johnny sitting up so there would be more space. “Your father, that is.”

Johnny reached for a cookie and took a bite, mulling over what to reply. He had locked himself up for two days after the call, being filled in on the situation by his mother. Who would’ve thought the report of homicide on the radio was due to his father and his companion? Johnny would never have guessed, and was bitter that a sweet memory of Jaehyun laughing over the news had been ruined like that.

“Like I am now, kind of.” He settled on that, because it was partly true. Johnny just changed due to circumstances, his father had been the same for as long as he could remember. Never really there for neither him or his mother, he realized after pondering about it. Johnny had painted a picture of him with only the brightest colors, not thinking about the fact that mixed together they would turn black. He was scared that was going to be him, recalling the regret in his father’s voice as he wished him the best for the future.

“So, he was really cool and strong.” Mark commented, Johnny almost choking on crumbs. He looked at Mark with wide eyes, not believing what was coming out of the younger’s mouth. “And he was passionate about things, and someone to look up to.”

“Y-yeah.” Johnny coughed, sitting up even more to meet Mark’s shining gaze. “He just, didn’t show his emotions that well?”

“I think,” Mark started, shyly fiddling with the end of his sleeves. “I think you’re not like him in that prospect.”

“Mark, I’ve been nothing but an ass to you.” Johnny huffed, pushing the other’s shoulder slightly. “You don’t have to try and comfort me.”

“But you care, don’t you?” Mark accused, voice shaking slightly. “You wouldn’t pick me up whenever it was just a grey cloud in the sky, or let me have more mashed potatoes because it’s my favorite, and you wouldn’t let me choose the station on the radio unless you did.”

Johnny remained mum, so Mark continued his little speech. 

“I overheard mom and dad talk about your dad, and right now you’re like him in appearance and your fronting personality, but he never showed he cared.” The younger tentatively put a hand on Johnny’s knee, almost as if a brash move would make him pounce. “I think you’re cool, strong, and I look up to you. You wear your heart on your sleeve, but you don’t let anyone crumple it like you don’t want to crumple anyone else's. I know you’re a douche because you want me to know there’s bad in the world, but I already know that.”

“You-” Johnny suppressed a sob, because he had been unaware he had become to Mark what his dad had been to him. “You’re too smart for your own good, kid.”

“I want to become an engineer, I kinda have to be.” Johnny pulled him into a headlock, ruffling his hair wildly. They shared laughs, and Johnny knew he didn’t have to change himself for anyone. He could remain like he was, and he wouldn’t have any regrets, because unlike his dad he cared. He cared so much it swallowed him whole, about his mother, his friends, even Mark and his dad,  _ Jaehyun _ . They knew he cared, and that’s what mattered. “Let’s finish the cookies, mom is making fish sticks and peas for dinner so I wanna be as full as possible.”

“Disgusting.”

“Like your face.”

“Mark Lee, I will not accept this kind of attitude from my younger brother!” The outburst made them both halt. Mark just stared at Johnny with wide eyes, shining with tears, a large grin spreading on his face.

“I’ve learned from my big brother, the best.”

-

Winter had been unnaturally cold, snow covering the ground longer than what people were used to. In turn, spring got unbearable, too close to the heat of summer to be comfortable. Mark was holding one arm out of the car, the roof retracted so wind could cool down the heads the sun had targeted.

“You can stop here!” Mark called out, Johnny pulling over to let the younger off. There was a boy jumping off a truck parked in front of them, wearing jeans with mud at the ends and boots, a jean jacket in his hold along with a backpack. “Donghyuck, over here!”

“Wow,” Johnny teased, seeing the grin on Mark’s face fade and a blush replace it. The other boy was striding towards them, so Johnny made sure to talk a little loud. “Crushing on a farm boy, huh?”

“Johnny, stop.”

“Hey Mark and- oh my godness,  _ the  _ Johnny Suh?” Donghyuck greeted coolly, although a little awestruck. He held out a fist towards Johnny, who bumped it. “I’m a fan of your badassery.”

“Thanks little guy, but you better treat my brother right, or you might be the receiving end of it.” Mark buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly in embarrassment. Donghyuck’s tan skin got a little more tinted, the flaming ears obviously not from the sun. “And he likes flowers, bring him lots of it.”

“I will, sir!” Donghyuck saluted, Mark telling Johnny to bugger off before stalking away, farm boy in tow. Their fingers were tangled together, and Johnny whistled after them. He was just teasing for fun, but apparently there was something there. He sulked the rest of the way to the parking lot because  _ why didn’t Mark tell him _ ?

Johnny moaned about it to Ten when he parked next to his car, who had been waiting for Johnny. 

“It’s cause you’re like an embarrassing dad.” Ten smirked, flicking away some ash from his cigarette. “No one had any idea you and Mark lived together until you threatened those kids bullying him, and now Mark’s dad kind of has become your nickname among the freshers.”

“That’s fucking weird.”

“Tell me about it, but wanna know what’s even weirder?” Johnny got out of the car, following Ten as he walked towards the school building. “Where is Mr. Jung, and why is he not with you?”

“He had some stuff to do, so he should’ve gotten here pretty early.” Johnny replied, clenching his hand absentmindedly because it felt cold without another in it. They chattered mindlessly as they wandered into the hallway, Ten going off about making out with a sophmore over the weekend who he thought was a college student.

“Listen, he’s like super tall and his face looks so mature? If I knew he was a kid I wouldn’t imagine how he looked naked, God help me.” He shoved the cigarette into his pocket as a teacher walked by, hissing because it probably burnt his thigh. “If you hear the name Lucas tell me to hide, please.”

“ _ Oh, Lucas! _ ” Johnny sang with mirth, and a guy standing by a locker actually reacted to it. Ten bolted, and the guy followed him, much to Johnny’s amusement. The ‘ _ Fuck you, Johnny Suh!’  _ from Ten and the ‘ _ Language!’ _ from a teacher made him cackle louder.

He made his way over to his own locker, clean out day being only a week away, and then he’d graduate from the hell that was high school. What he didn’t expect, was the balloons attached to his locker. He looked around, wondering if it was some sort of prank, carefully opening the steel door.

Johnny was met with a banner hanging vertically, reading  _ CONGRATULATIONS!  _ in neat handwriting, a couple more balloons falling out along with a book. He was confused, because he certainly wasn’t becoming a father, and neither had he joined any form of lottery. Someone jumping onto his back broke him out of his train of thoughts, arms automatically going to keep whoever attacked him from falling.

“You got in!” A familiar voice called into his ear, sloppy kisses peppered all over his cheek. “Johnny Suh, you got in!”

“Calm down, I don’t understand exactly what I’ve gotten into that isn’t you.” Jaehyun got down from his back, turning Johnny around to kiss him on the lips, completely ignoring the suggestive comment. When they pulled apart a paper was shoved into Johnny’s face, and Johnny almost kissed it when he leaned in for another peck from Jaehyun’s lips.

“Your mother called mine yesterday while we were at school, she wanted to surprise you, and so did I.”

Reading the letter, Johnny certainly was surprised. All his hard work and extra studying to pass all his classes and catching up on material from his careless years had paid off, and this was the proof. He let the paper fall, and noticed Jaehyun was crying, even with a big grin with dimples and everything on his face. 

“ _ I got in _ .” Jaehyun nodded excitedly, bringing Johnny into a crushing hug, crying into his chest. The fear of separation had been hanging around them ever since acceptance letters had started filling mailboxes of seniors, Doyoung already having cried because Taeyong was heading up to New York, Doyoung staying in Illinois. Taeyong hadn’t taken it well either, but even if Doyoung could be a downright prick, he had convinced Taeyong to go to his first choice of school. It hadn’t been pretty, and it had even made the atmosphere between Johnny and Jaehyun sullen. It only got worse once Jaehyun received his letter, Johnny subtly ignoring him for a few days before he caved in, spending as much time as possible with other if it was the last time they would have together in a long time. Now, they had reassurance, and a partner for long roadtrips when it was time to head home for holidays. 

“We both got in,  _ together _ .”

-

Johnny took a sip of his mug, cherishing the bitter taste of black coffee, which gave a kick to his sleepy senses. The heavy summer air in Texas didn't penetrate the walls of the building, air conditioner working in full motion, yet he still felt the hair at his nape stick to his skin, small droplets of sweat running down his forehead.

"Imma head upstairs." He announced to no one in particular, but still received a couple of hums from his team.

Upstairs, specifically the control room, had more humidity than the basement did, and Johnny patted himself on the shoulder for choosing the position that let him spend most of the time underground. Screwing and fixing things outside was unfortunately part of the job still, and the Texan summers really didn't let one off easy. Johnny had lived there for three years now, but he still wasn’t used to the unbearable climate. 

He showed his ID to the security guarding the control room, granting him a pass. The room was filled with hushed murmurs, everyone paying attention to the large screen up front, working around the clock so the mission went by without a hitch. Among the many heads, he sought out a familiar one with dark, messy hair atop. The usually gelled strands hadn’t seen proper care for weeks, and Johnny wiped at his cheek consciously at the thought, knowing there was a black smudge there.

Johnny made his way over, walking down to the second level away from the screen, working his way around the maze of nervous bodies until his hand found its place on a sturdy shoulder.

"There's our baby." Was the greeting he got, Jaehyun's specs reflecting what was broadcasted up on the screen.

"Yeah, there she is." Johnny smiled, eyes lingering on Jaehyun's profile before turning away to catch what everyone had been working so hard for to achieve.

Apollo 11 was beautiful, a mechanical masterpiece, and Johnny knew no cars could compare to the feel he got while hooking up tubes, isolation and screws to the spacecraft. The crew inside were navigating closer to the surface of the moon, touching the interior Johnny’s team had set up, and the transmitter received a chopped message estimating 13 minutes before contact.

It was July 20th. Johnny and Jaehyun had missed Taeyong's birthday and the Fourth of July celebrations with their families. They had been cooped up in the NASA building for most of the summer, most of the  _ year _ , working day and night on this project. They hadn’t seen much of each other the past months, but it was finally time for it to change, a well deserved break currently in sight. 

The atmosphere in the room grew tense, everyone awaiting touchdown, and once it came everyone erupted into cheers. Scientists congratulated each other, and Johnny saw some of the other mechanics wiping their tears. He didn’t have much time to remove his own as arms wrapped around his neck and lips pressed against his, Jaehyun sobbing into the kiss messily.

Their childhood dream had been to always be together, and work alongside each other, but they had exceeded it. They were a part of something big, bigger than they could phantom in the moment, but it was alright. They had each other, and that was all that mattered in the long run.

-

“Pull over.” Jaehyun ordered, coaxing Johnny to drive into the parking lot of a gas station, even if he just really wanted to go home. “I’m gonna get some coke, I’m craving a float.”

“You grew up in Illinois, stop saying that unless you mean coca cola.” Johnny teased as he pulled out his lighter, cigarette already in between his lips.

“Roll down the window before you pollute the air, at least.” Jaehyun chided as he slammed the door shut, leaving Johnny to his thoughts and smoke.

“It’s the first one in a week.” The mechanic spoke aloud, when he knew his lover was out of earshot. He’d been trying to quit for years now, but he finally seemed to be going somewhere, just so he could keep his lungs from giving out sooner and he could have more time with Jaehyun. Johnny opened the glove compartment, pulling out an envelope hidden between various bills and telegrams, peering into it to assure the contents were still there.

He had wanted to wait a little longer, at least until he wasn’t addicted to the feel of toxins in his lungs, but time was a fickle thing and he didn’t have forever. Johnny hurriedly slipped the envelope between his thighs when Jaehyun opened the door again, two bottles of root beer in hand.

“Wasn’t sure if you wanted one or not, more for me if you back out.” The younger smiled as he got in, placing the bottles down on the floor. Johnny still had a small stub hanging from his mouth, which Jaehyun eyed with distaste. “Still not done with that?”

“Now I am.” Johnny threw the thing out of the window, but didn’t start the car. He contemplated the words that left his mouth, and thought he could possibly mean them this time, for good. “Hold out your hands.”

“Are you messing with me right now?” Jaehyun didn’t quite shoot Johnny a glare, and decided to humor him by holding his hands out.

“Close your eyes for me, sweetheart.”

“Okay.” Jaehyun giggled, it was a nickname from the past; of high school and college and reckless youth running through their veins. Johnny rarely used it anymore, only when he was sentimental or did something mediocre romantic, but it had always been Jaehyun’s favorite.

“No peeking.” Johnny smiled at the other, a pull to his lips filled with affection, even if it wasn’t seen. He retrieved his lighter from his pocket and put it into Jaehyun’s right hand, enclosing the younger’s fingers around the metal.

“Johnny…” He saw eyelashes fluttering, and gave a little squeeze to Jaehyun’s hand.

“I’m not done yet.” Johnny reached between his legs, grabbing the envelope as quiet as he could, fishing out what was in it. It was now or never; he took a breath and a gentle hold of Jaehyun’s left hand, running his thumb over the back of it. With shivering nerves, he carefully threaded a silver band onto the ring finger, hearing a small gasp pass through the other’s lips. “Now you can open them.”

The nervousness grew within Johnny, and he almost wanted to tear the ring off Jaehyun and play it off as a joke, but then his gaze met the other’s, and it felt like all planets aligned and he had been the first man on the moon.

There were no words exchanged, they had already been in the past, when Jaehyun had asked him;  _ ‘will we ever get married? _ ’, and Johnny had shrugged, mumbling something along the lines of ‘ _ do we really have to? _ ’, and it was left at that. Jaehyun didn’t ask anymore, but Johnny had seen the gazes he would give when they passed newly-weds walking out of churches. Jaehyun always wanted a little kid or two running around as well, in their cozy house, but you had to be married to get the legislation. Johnny knew that was why Jaehyun never shut up about children.

The two could get an ankle-biter now, have a large, pompous celebration their mother’s would love to organize, and Johnny’s forever seemed better when Jaehyun was set in it. He always had been, but it felt realer now, more secure.

They kissed, and kissed, and _ kissed _ . Jaehyun might have been crying, but they laughed in pure bliss the few moments they pulled apart to get air back into their lungs. The root beer was getting warm and the ice cream at home would melt faster in it, but Jaehyun didn’t crave a float anymore, not when he got what he wanted the most in the palm of his hand. Johnny felt like it was all a fever-induced dream, too wonderful to be reality, but Jaehyun had always been too good to be true.

Yet there he was, flesh and bones and  _ real _ , even with messy hair and eyes that hadn’t rested properly for weeks. Jaehyun pulled away while gripping onto Johnny’s shirt with a mischievous grin, eyes gleaming.

“There’s an empty lot not far from here, we could go there?” Jaehyun suggested, and Johnny chortled at the shameless sentence. “To just talk, or whatever.”

“Sure.” He agreed, pecking Jaehyun’s lips one more time, before revving up the engine. There was a pressure on Johnny’s thigh, trailing further and further up as the vehicle came closer to their destination, and Johnny let out a frustrated groan when Jaehyun pulled away with a snicker. The younger rolled down his window, and even though the only breathing things that would hear him were cows and rattlesnakes, he yelled in his best Ten impersonation:

“Johnny’s scoring backseat bingo!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> idg how this ended up so long... it was gonna be short but i say that about all my recent writings rip BUT THE 1234 WORDCOUNT IS PLEASING  
> I tried writing differently than I have before, with less humor and more. uh. seriousness. i hope its readable and you made it this far and actually enjoyed it like it would mean a lot to me?
> 
> the last parts are a little rushed tho i apologize again kdsjdklksd


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